The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-02-16


w. /. Jones ~ :he S7u::.e-, c':--;:.T
It is presumed that by tll:s time ever,
farmer has matured his plans, al-@ 5 a
ready under way in executing t&em. OK
of the first things 20 claim lis atye2tiol
is the preparation OF the manure TO *
used. He has decided TO use compost:
largely and he must Enw prepare i.l>n:
the matter cannot be deferred m0c1
longer. Whilst = compost NIL SlTe ia.i
results, prepared only month or SlA
weeks IN advance Of IL application, De
general DRIFT q eEpeTs%nc2 lnl't,-s,S ti;,;,
better results enSUe wEere tAey ;,ic }t2'
pared three months il advance. Goa,
posts for cotton shouiG DC E;l5 ~ ::
once, an6 care taken that every condition
FOR proper fermentation be present.
These conditions are proper &arl!Xtiire
of ingredients, decides; mo-ssure l..
through the mass, AID 2 dec2G>d com
pactness. 4 loosely thrown ~ pile OF
manure vii become too ho5 and be
greatly injured. 4 proper fermentatlon
brings about several valuable results.
First, it reduces OF breaks GOWN the
coarser ingredients, as hay. straw, Leaves
or other litter, and renders the GlstrlDu-
ton OF the compost easiec and more
uniform. Uniformity Of distribution Is
u matter Of first importance. IL the
next place It renders ineIt. insoiub!e
materials active and soluble. III OF the
nitrogen, for instance, Of gree. OF fresh
manure is insoInb:e: it is eithcr IL the
form OF albuminous compounds or OF
urea "a constituent Of uriue), 22d must
be changed to ammonia OF nitric acid,
before plants can appropriate Il. The
danger is that, as this ar1monla Is
formed, it may be driven of b. heat and
be lost. This is to be prevented by
keeping the fermentation within proper
bounds, as above pointed out, and by
covering the heap with layer ot rich
dirt six CT eight inches thic2, TO catch
and absorb any escaping annoala
Another and very effective means OF pre-
venting loss is using haiait &s enc OF the
ingredients OF the compost. ae lHrer5.-
lent idea has been that land plaster was
excellent for that purpose. Eat p.aster
only acts efficiently where there IS water
enough 20 dissolve 1t, and tbs IS not
generally the case II a comrost heap.
kainit is much more soluble than plas-
ter, and will fix ammonia under clIcam-
stances where plaster viii not. halnit
is decidedly the best cheap and available
substance for the purpose that we know.
It has been Just stated tl.Gt KANT
ought to be one OF the ingredients o. {
compost heap-wLat other OF lie clemi-
cal or concentrated fertilizers shonl& eG-
ter into it. There need be 20 Hesitation
in saying that phospholic ;tcid, IN some
form, should occupy trent pace IL tbs
respect. No substance is rnore ualTer-
sally wanting in old. lonG-crnr2sd i2nas
than phosploric acid, none, The app1c;s-
ton Of which, on such lands, las given
more uniformly good results. beslces
kainit and T hosploric acid, there are no
other chemical fertilizers wIIch need
generally enter into conposts; IL eH-
ceptional cases some otAecs may be
needed; that depends upon the rature
of the more bulky basis Ct the compost,
and to this let Us turn attention. AS a
rule, barn-yard mannrc IS the nam
foundation OF conposts. Il consists OF
tie excrement and urine cf EorSes and
cattle mixed with Q variable quantity CT
litter. With the farmer It is az ever
pressing inquiry how he nay increase
the quantity and improve the quality OF
this most valuable substance. As to the
first (the quantity, the ieady answer OF
Northern and European writers has peen
by keeping more stock. BIT bear in
mind, however, that this answer comes
from regions where grass and gram are
the leading crops, and where large cities
and dense population largely manu-
tacturing) create 8 large demand for
food, inclulng meat. 70 a Aortiern
or English farmer the question is, shall
hay and grain be sold direct from the
farm, or shall they be converted into
meat and milk, and cheese and butter,
and these become the objects OF sale:
He can find sale for either. With =
Southern farmer the conditions are some
what different. st present the most OF
his land is too poor to grow grass sue
cessfuilv, and climatic conditions render
small grain crops rather uncertain. The
cities about him are small, population Is
sparse, and a small portion OF It engaged
in manufactures. Would these surround
ing warrant q general increase IL the
number of live stock on the farm? That
is extremely doubtful. Except ID local
tiles where there IS an extended range,
most farmers have, until recent period,
erred in keeping too much rather than
too little stock. IL one direction there
might De profitable increase, VIZ, II
raising all the horses and maies they
need, and possibly the hogs required tor
domestic use. Gradually our farms
might be brought up to the requisite
degree OF fertility to produce grass anc
grain enough for q moderate increase IL
the number Of milk COWS. There is g
demand for good butter at the South,
and we ought by al means to strive tc
work up to the point of supplying i.
But after all, the increase suggested
would be small, and would not go very
far towards increasing the quantity Of
manure. How, then, can 1t be done:
By more careful outstanding OF all :llanr;
risl material on the farm especially th(
urine of animals and the preventing O
the Teaching Of the soluble Iand therefore
most vaIuabley portions by ram.
In this connection the most urgent
need of Southern farmers IS lnorc stal
room for stock. Stalls should De large
and roomy, and SO arranget; that stocE
Will not have to be !.a!tered, but ray bl
free to move about at Will. Wien ami
mails are haltered their urine IS dis
charged at certain spots; the coarse